Netanyahu to Israel Hayom: Iran has not changed

„The smuggling of the missiles was an Iranian covert operation that we discovered, caught and stopped. Beyond catching the dangerous missiles, this is a message to the world, a message that we are transferring gradually and methodically: Despite the Iranian denials, despite the smiles and imaginary moderation emanating from Iran, this is still the same Iran and it hasn’t altered its murderous conduct in any way,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Hayom in an interview upon his return from last week’s trip to the United States.

In the interview, Netanyahu addressed the Iranian nuclear issue, the peace talks with the Palestinians, his most recent meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and the ongoing incarceration of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.

Netanyahu continued to tout the military and diplomatic victory scored by Israel and its naval commandos by capturing the Klos C weapons ship: „It should and it will influence those conducting the negotiations with Tehran regarding the question of how best to proceed with Iran. Right now the battle is over the truth, and the truth is Iran is a country that breaks all the rules. It is important to expose Iran’s true face.”

‘Concessions aren’t necessary’

Next week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also scheduled to visit with Obama in Washington. Netanyahu hopes the U.S. president will pressure Abbas to agree to a one-year extension period for the peace talks. According to the prime minister’s assessment, Abbas is not showing signs that he is willing to do so.

What is the framework agreement document expected to include?

„It is an American document with negotiation proposals that the sides can address. This is not an Israeli document, and it is certainly liable to include things that Israel will not agree to and will object to. But this document, if it is indeed presented, will be a platform for discussing the renewal of negotiations, which are expected to last about a year if the Palestinians come around and finally agree to enter talks. I cannot say for certain, they are currently not showing any signs in this direction.”

What concessions will you have to make?

„At this point concessions aren’t required. Only one thing is required right now: The willingness to engage in negotiations; and this willingness exists. It has always existed. The simple fact is that [Abbas] has refused to negotiate for close to five years already. This cannot be ignored or glossed over. I have no conditions for starting talks. I have clear conditions about how they will end, but not to how they begin.

„[Abbas] is not prepared even for the first stage of discussions toward an agreement. At its foundation the American document contains American ideas, but its advantage is that it suggests a path for the sides to progress and for each to express his position.”

In the first round, terrorists were released from prison. Do you intend to release more Palestinian prisoners even after the scheduled fourth round of releases, just to renew negotiations or extend them by another year?

„This has not come up.”

‘The coalition is not in danger’

Can you promise that you won’t freeze settlements during the negotiations, as the Palestinians are demanding?

„Our experience with the U.S. administration’s decision to freeze [construction] is that it doesn’t lead to starting talks. My opinion on the matter is very clear. At this time it is self-evident that Israel is prepared to begin negotiations. I don’t think there is much wisdom in touching on this matter at the moment. Either way, I don’t expect us to implement another construction freeze in the manner it was done so in the past.”

Would entering negotiations on the basis of the expected American document threaten your coalition?

„No, there is no reason for it to threaten the coalition. These are after all American positions, not Israel’s. There are many things we like in [the document] and of course many things that we do not, but that’s what talks are for.”

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman proposed that, within the framework of a land swap, the Triangle (an Israeli Arab-populated area in Israel adjacent to the West Bank) will be transferred to a Palestinian state. Is this also your position?

„There is no point in getting into the various possibilities. This issue has also never been discussed. All these issues will be examined and raised down the road if the Palestinians agree to engage in talks and get on the road. At the moment they refuse to do so. The Palestinians threaten to go to the United Nations and are showing no signs of agreeing to extend the negotiations for a certain period of time and exploring whether we can end the process that has been started.

„Therefore in regards to the question, we are to a large extent currently conducting negotiations with ourselves and I propose we conduct negotiations with the Palestinians.”

What can you tell us about your meeting with Obama?

„First of all, it was much better than the interview that preceded it. This is a fact. Before I arrived in Washington I mentioned that over past five years I’ve proven that I know how to stand up very well to pressures and criticism, and maintain Israel’s vital interests — and that’s what I did during the meeting on the Palestinian issue and on the Iranian issue. I don’t hide, aside from our agreement that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, our disagreement over allowing Iran to preserve uranium enrichment capabilities. I have not wavered from my view that there is no reason for Iran to have even one centrifuge. If [Iran] is indeed honest about its intention to create nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, then centrifuges are not required for peaceful purposes, they are required to make a nuclear weapon.”

Netanyahu also gave interviews to Israel’s three television stations and Israel Radio. The prime minister told Channel 2 News: „We will not abandon any Israeli citizens.” He also reiterated what he said before the U.S. Congress and in a 2009 interview with Israel Hayom, that some settlements would need to be removed as part of a final-status agreement. „It is clear that some of the settlements won’t be part of the arrangement, everyone understands this. I will ensure that this is as limited as can be, as far as it is possible, if we do get there, and we will take care of every citizen.”

Netanyahu told Channel 10 that despite the traditional American and Palestinian position on Jerusalem, he has insisted that Jerusalem not be divided: „On Jerusalem, until now, I haven’t compromised, and this is a strong indication about the future.”

‘All-time high support for Israel’

The prime minister also discussed Israel’s relationship with the U.S. and the painful issue of Jonathan Pollard’s ongoing incarceration in an American federal prison.

There is a change taking place in the United States. Certain communities are growing, such as the Hispanic community, where Israel has less influence. Among other populations as well, among youngsters, there is less support for Israel, and there are those who accuse you of essentially not knowing today’s America. What is your response to these claims?

„I am amused by them. If someone thinks I don’t know the U.S., he apparently doesn’t know me. I know it well, including all the changes taking place there. That’s why I recently said we need to teach Israeli children two additional languages: Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, preferably with a Mexican accent. This is precisely because I am aware of the changes happening in the United States. I am making great efforts, as is our diplomatic corps, to engage the Hispanic community specifically and American youth in general in the U.S.

„Factually, according to surveys, support for Israel has risen and is now at an all-time high. Israel has a 72 percent support rating — this is a very impressive figure. If you compare support for Israel in the 1960s, for example, it was only half back then. So there has been a constant rise in support. It’s true though that we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to make more of an effort. Therefore, for example, during my visit to the U.S. I was in Los Angeles and I went to Hollywood to persuade those who influence the youth through movies, TV shows and the Internet [Netanyahu met with movie producers and actors, and with Apple CEO Tim Cook and WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum], and I discovered a great deal of interest in Israel and also a lot of support. People responded very positively to a first-person account of the real Israel, not the Israel described its detractors, rather the only democratic country in our enormous region, which espouses the same important values that Americans also hold dear.”

‘The entire price has been paid’

The time is passing, the meetings with American presidents are friendly, but Jonathan Pollard is still in America prison. Did you request his release?

„The issue was most certainly raised. There is never a time I when meet the American president and this matter does not come up. Pollard needs to be freed. The time has come for him to return home. He has already served his time. He erred, the state of Israel erred by sending him on his mission, and for this the price has been paid in full and with extra interest.”

What is needed for Pollard to be released?

„An American decision is required. I think the time has come. The time is growing long and the man is not well. „

Did Obama provide any light at the end of the tunnel on this matter?

„I can only say what I’ve said.”